Wanted: Energy vampire slayers

  • Published
  • By Robin Liggett
  • 354th Civil Engineering Squadron
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska (AFNS) --  An "energy vampire," or phantom load, is energy that continues to be drawn by appliances or accessories when they are turned off or disconnected.

The following is a list of easy steps anyone can take at work and home to kill energy vampires once and for all:

-- Use daylight instead of electric light when possible.
-- When artificial lighting is necessary, opt for compact fluorescent light bulbs. CFLs use 75 percent less energy, emit 75 percent less heat, and last 10 times longer than incandescent light bulbs. Even with all that saved energy, they should still be turned off anytime the room will be unoccupied for more than a few minutes.
-- Too forgetful? Consider installing motion sensors to automatically conserve energy.
-- Unplug cell phone chargers, game stations, coffee makers, desktop printers, radios, etc., when they are not in use. Rather than unplugging each individual cord, consider using a power strip for three items and turning everything off with just one switch.
-- Only use clothes washers and dishwashers when there is a full load, and avoid using hot water unless necessary. No matter the quantity of dirty clothes, a washing machine uses 32 gallons of water per use. Dishwashers will use 12 gallons of hot water no matter how many plates and bowls are loaded inside, so fill it up. The "heat dry" setting is also a secret code for energy vampires, so turn it off and let dishes air dry.
-- Heating accounts for 30 percent of a home's winter energy bill. Keep the thermostat set to 68 degrees Fahrenheit when at home, and drop it down to a recommended 55 when not at home. Making sure there are clean or new filters in the furnace/heat pump and ensuring floor and wall vents are not blocked will improve air flow efficiency. Avoid space heaters, which are deceitful energy vampires.
-- If a home or office is drafty, then seal the air leaks by caulking windows and securing weather strips around doors.
-- Keep garage doors and exterior doors closed during winter months.
-- Open curtains during winter days to allow natural sunshine to warm a room, and close curtains at night to keep in the heat.
-- There's a common misconception about computers and power. Screen savers do not reduce energy consumption; sleep mode is the more conservative choice.
-- If planning to be away from the computer for twenty minutes, manually turn off the monitor to save the screen and energy.
-- Power down computers when planning to be away for more than 2 hours.
-- Check out energy-efficient office equipment when looking at a future purchase. An Energy Star laptop uses 70 percent less electricity than a heavyweight desktop PC, when the power management feature is activated. 
-- Adjust the water heater thermostat to 120 degrees Fahrenheit to save energy and avoid accidental scalding.
-- The average shower can consume 20 gallons of water. Installing a low-flow showerhead will reduce water waste.
-- Dripping water isn't just annoying. It can also waste gallons of water in a very short period of time, so repair leaky faucets immediately.

Leaner installations, cleaner sources, and smarter decisions will help everyone exterminate energy vampires at work and home.